UNC women’s lacrosse was predicted to finish second in the ACC, behind Syracuse.

The Orange are the defending champions, beating the Tar Heels in overtime in the ACC championship final last spring.

The Tar Heels are coming off a loss in the NCAA championship. They have been ranked No. 2 nationally, behind defending champion Maryland.

UNC also had the most preseason All-ACC selections with four.

Attacker Aly Messinger, midfielders Maggie Bill and Marie McCool and goalie Caylee Waters were all named to the team.

The Tar Heels begin their season February 6 at James Madison.